Fastest athletes to complete the 10,000m race at Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics witnessed arguably the most grueling 10,000m track race in the history of the multi-sport competition. In an incredible men's final, Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda emerged victorious at the Stade de France. Notably, the first 13 finishers all came in under the previous Olympic record. Here we decode the fastest sprinter to complete the 10,000m race at the Olympics.
Joshua Cheptegei - 26:43.14 minutes
Cheptegei was gutted after settling for the silver in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The Uganda star went one step ahead this time and claimed the gold. The three-time world champion and world record holder timed an Olympic record of 26min 43.14sec for victory. The previous best (27:07.17) was set by Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Berihu Aregawi - 26:43.44 minutes
Bekele's compatriot Berihu Aregawi missed out on the gold medal by a whisker as he took 26:43.44 minutes to complete the race. He hence had to settle for the silver. "I was running for my country and I want to dedicate this silver medal to my country," the sprinter, who secured a fourth-place finish in the 2020 Games, said.
Grant Fisher - 26:43.46 minutes
The bronze medal went to Grant Fisher of United States, who was just 0.02 seconds behind Aregawi. "You've got to be tough to win a medal. I made it today and it feels incredible," he said after the race. Notably, Fisher also holds the American national records for the 5,000 (12:46.96) and 10,000 meters (26:33.84).
Mohammed Ahmed - 26:43.79 minutes
Canadian sprinter Mohammed Ahmed missed out on a podium finish as he finished at the fourth place. He completed the marathon race in 26:43.79 minutes. Notably, Ahmed claimed the silver medal in the 5,000m race at the 2020 event. He is also a two-time silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games in the 5000m and 10,000m events.
